FC Kansas City to cease operations, will be replaced by club owned by Real Salt Lake

National Women’s Soccer League club FC Kansas City will cease operations and be replaced by a new club owned by Real Salt Lake in 2018, the league announced Monday.

This is the second year in a row that an NWSL club has changed ownerships and moved cities. Last year, the Western New York Flash became the North Carolina Courage.

Here is the full release from the NWSL:

On Monday, the NWSL announced that it has re-acquired FC Kansas City LLC’s membership interest in the league. Effectively immediately, the NWSL is ceasing operations of the club.

"First, we’d like to recognize and thank Elam Baer and FC Kansas City LLC for their efforts this past year. We appreciate his commitment in helping the NWSL move forward," said NWSL Managing Director of Operations Amanda Duffy in the official release. "As the league moves on, and as difficult as it is to share this news about FC Kansas City, we feel it is in the best interest of the league and the players at this time.

"Most importantly, we would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank all the fans and the city of Kansas City for their support of this club, the league and the sport over the past five years."

As previously announced, the new club owned by Real Salt Lake will replace Kansas City and play its home matches at Rio Tinto Stadium. This new club will play in the 2018 season, the sixth season of the National Women’s Soccer League.

FC Kansas City’s players currently on the roster will be transferred to the new Salt Lake City club before the start of the 2018 season. In addition, Salt Lake will also receive Kansas City’s picks in the 2018 NWSL College Draft, as well as their spots in the Discovery and Waiver Tie-Breakers and Distribution Ranking Order.

Real Salt Lake’s club will also receive the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 College Draft.

— Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

In this file photo taken on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2014, Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen presents his vision for a new minor league soccer stadium at the Utah State Fairpark. Hansen announced Thursday that Real Salt Lake would be launching an NWSL club in 2018.